The Baltimore Orioles of the MLB on Thursday congratulated former Taiwanese starting pitcher Chen Wei-yin on his upcoming retirement on March 16.
“The Orioles congratulate Wei-yin Chen on his outstanding career on both sides of the Pacific,” Orioles public relations director Jackie Harig told the Central News Agency. “He was the first Taiwanese player in team history and played a key role in the Orioles reaching the post-season in 2012 and 2014. A constant in the Orioles rotation, he had the lowest ERA and the starts and innings pitched of any Orioles starter during his four seasons here. We wish him well in his retirement.”
The Orioles made the statement after the 39-year-old lefty’s Facebook post on Wednesday announcing that he had decided to retire from professional baseball.
Photo: CNA
Chen said he had decided to step down from his 20-year career after realizing he could no longer perform at the highest level.
“As a professional player, pain and fatigue have never been the hardest things to deal with. The real challenge is honestly facing up to no longer being at one’s peak,” Chen wrote. “After countless internal struggles, I told my wife: ‘My body has reached its limit. I think it’s time for me to retire.’”
The Taiwanese pitched for the Orioles between 2012 and 2016.
He made his MLB debut with the team on April 10, 2012, as a starter against the New York Yankees, making him the seventh Taiwanese player to play in the MLB.
He played four seasons with the team, before signing an US$80 million five-year contract with the Miami Marlins in 2016, the largest guaranteed contract for a pitcher in Marlins franchise history.
Before his MLB career, Chen got his professional start in Japan after signing for the Nagoya-based Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2003.
He made his official professional debut in 2005 with the Dragons.
Chen was also the first player born in Taiwan to sign with a US major league team from the NPB.
The Dragons announced that Chen would throw the ceremonial first pitch on March 16 to mark his retirement inside the team’s home stadium, Vantelin Dome, before an exhibition game ahead of the NPB season.
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